Thanks Harry Platts and the Friends of Lavender Park for having me along to their monthly litter pick. Nothing like a bit of spring cleaning to bring us together and help keep our local park looking its best 💚
Huge thank you to the Patchworkers who joined us in #Mitcham. I would not have been elected four years ago, or be standing again, without the confidence and campaigning experience Patchwork UK gave me. Great to pay that forward yesterday, with special thanks to Siobhain McDonagh for joining us too.
As someone who could never have imagined doing that at school, I know how daunting public speaking can feel. That’s exactly why opportunities like this matter so much. Every single student who took part did an incredible job.
Thank you @jpfoundation.bsky.social for providing these opportunities.
Such a pleasure to be back with Speaker’s Trust as a judge for the @jpfoundation.bsky.social Speak Out Challenge!
It was so inspiring listening to the student’s speeches on the things that matter to them. I was very impressed by their ideas, passion and confidence. Congrats to Marcos, Mia andToni 👏🏾
Happy Easter from the blood donor chair. Glad to donate today and do my bit. If you can give blood, please do 🐣
#Mitcham is all the better for the people who have come here from all around the world and helped build the community we are proud to call home.
Thank you DAME Siobhain McDonagh MP for your support and for speaking at our British Ugandan community’s belated International Women’s Day event 💜
Thank you Andy Butcher for the invitation to #MordenLittleLeague. It was great to see so many children and brilliant coaches in action and having fun.
Congratulations to our Mayor, @martinwhelton.bsky.social, on a brilliant and successful Mayoral Ball.
And all in support of some fantastic local causes, with over £8,000 raised for Commonside Trust, Wimbledon and Morden Guild to continue doing such important work for our residents across #Merton.
It is a really good book. The first time I used Terry Szuplat’s tips for a speech, the difference in how I felt delivering it and the impact it had on the people I was speaking to was like night and day. I got that ‘sacred story’ in there: youtu.be/hhugMtPAoys?...
Big lesson from Terry Szuplat, President Obama’s former speechwriter: the speeches that connect are the ones where you stop trying to sound like a cardboard cutout of a politician and just speak as yourself.
That’s the energy I’m taking forward because I’ve given dead speeches before. Not anymore.
Thank you to Steve Reed, our Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for showing #Mitcham and Morden some love tonight at our Gala Dinner. Great to have you with us for such a special evening 🌹
Our super popular Pop Up Tip was at Canons Leisure Centre car park earlier today and it was great to speak to so many residents making use of this brilliant free service.
Really good to see just how much this @mertonlabour.bsky.social delivered service is valued by our community.
This #LondonDemocracyWeek, and with local elections on the horizon on 7th May, not that I have a declaration of interest to declare, please make sure you’re registered to vote, especially if you live in Cricket Green or anywhere in Merton: www.registertovote.london
#LDW2026 #NoVoteNoVoice
We are serious about tackling violence against women and girls here, and that means starting early.
I want every child in #Merton to grow up safe, supported, and empowered in every space. This strategy is a step towards that future where no young person lives in fear because of their gender 💜
😎
Merton is officially in the Guinness World Records!
We made history today as almost 900 children from our local schools rapped our way into the record books for the largest rap lesson ever with MC Grammar at New Wimbledon Theatre!
National Year of Reading doesn’t get more fun than this 💜
Hands down, best part of being Cabinet Member for Children’s Services is seeing our children enjoying our free holiday activities.
I grew up on free school meals so I’m very proud #Merton offers these fun activities for our children in every school holiday 💜
👉🏾 www.mertonlabour.org/local-news/f...
A simple message with big meaning: “I am somebody. I may be poor, I may be young, my face is different, but I am somebody.”
We’re forever grateful to Rev. Jesse Jackson for helping teach generations to believe in themselves and in one another. Thank you for being part of our community 👊🏾
We held our Find Your Future Fun Day and I’m really proud of what we delivered for local families.
You could see the impact. Parents got guidance on benefits, advice and housing support, while children had a great time with our celebrity Princess. Safe to say a few adults were a bit #Frozen too.
Thanks to relentless campaigning from Siobhain McDonagh and Merton Labour, and the support of the good people of #Mitcham, we’re pleased to be opening Mitcham’s new Banking Hub where our residents can still get in person banking support right here at Mitcham Library.
Visited one of our homes for young people who’ve been in our care and left feeling very proud. It was warm, safe, and the kind of home you’d want for your own family.
It’s one of my proudest things in #Merton: providing these high quality homes that build confidence & independence in our children.
The things we do to get re-elected 🤣
Honestly couldn’t be more grateful to our ward colleague Councillor Gill Manly for bringing her musical magic to our fundraiser last night.
Clearly Cricket Green’s got talented (well Gill and Councillor Butcher anyway) 🌹❤️
#LabourOfLove
Labour of Love ❤️🌹
A Valentines well spent helping my good friend Davina get elected for Fairfield Ward, #Croydon.
A highlight was hearing from the Chief Executive of Sandwell Council Shokat Lal speak so openly about the day to day pressures, tough calls & responsibility that comes with running his council.
That perspective makes us all better, more grounded councillors for our residents. Really great training.
Proud of this one 💜
In #Merton we are keeping free holiday clubs running, including half term so local kids can eat well, try new things and just enjoy being kids. I grew up on free school meals, so I know how much this matters.
Have a read 👇🏾
www.mertonlabour.org/local-news/f...
Happy to back our Labour friends in #Croydon and their inspiring vision of Putting #PeopleFirst.
@rowennadavis.bsky.social will make an excellent Mayor. Also great to be joined by @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social and Ed Miliband.
Exciting times ahead for the borough I first called home 🌹 #VoteLabour
Whilst Lib Dem-run Kingston and Sutton are hiking up their Council Tax again, Labour-run Merton is freezing ours. This will be a huge help with the cost of living and goes to show the difference Labour makes in Merton. www.mertonlabour.org/local-news/council-tax-freeze
Looks more like the Black Doctor Who than me, but top marks for the buzzwords.
Just one of the highlights was hearing from the Chief Executive of Sandwell Council Shokat Lal speak so openly about the day to day pressures, tough calls and responsibility that comes with running his council.
That perspective makes us all better, more grounded representatives for our residents.
There’s a lot of noise and nonsense in politics but moments like this make it all worth it.
